Work with "black boxes" of Russia's Tu-154 and Boeing may be finished Saturday

Deputy chairman of the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) Oleg Yermolov has stated that on Saturday the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Investigation will finish work with the "black boxes" of the Russian TU-154 and the Boeing airplanes which collided, supposedly, through the fault of Swiss air traffic controllers.

According to him, Russian specialists are taking part in deciphering of the "black boxes". Yermolov pointed out that particular attention was being devoted to communications with the American cargo Boeing-757 aircraft.

According to the IAC deputy chairman, it has already been established that 8 minutes 20 seconds prior to the collision air traffic controllers of the southern Zurich sector did not communicate with the Boeing. Yermolov indicated that "having entered their area of responsibility the Boeing crew greeted the air traffic controllers 15 minutes before the tragedy and during another communication session specified the flight level." He emphasized that "most probably the Boeing crew was descending from the air traffic controllers prescribed flight altitude because of the signals of the traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS)." They managed to glue together all scraps of the "Mars" voice recorder and the parametric "black box," said Yermolov. The German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Investigation now has an opportunity to have the complete picture of the accident.

As far as the "black boxes" on board the TU-154 are concerned, their transportation to Russia may not be required as the picture of the tragedy may be completely restored by German and Russian specialists who are presently working in Germany. "We may take those "black boxes" simply as museum exhibits or, if necessary, to carry out additional examinations," said Yermolov.